Hockey|Islanders, Who Won’t Go Quietly, Force a Game 7 Against the Capitals

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Islanders 3, Capitals 1

Islanders, Who Won’t Go Quietly, Force a Game 7 Against the Capitals

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The Islanders' Nick Leddy (2) and Nikolay Kulemin (86) after Kulemin's goal in the third period.CreditCreditJulie Jacobson/Associated Press

By Allan Kreda

April 25, 2015

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — There will be a Game 7 for the Islanders.

Nikolay Kulemin snapped a tie game midway through the third period, Cal Clutterbuck added an empty-net goal and the Islanders — playing a relentless 60 minutes in what could have been the last game at Nassau Coliseum — overcame the Washington Capitals, 3-1, on Saturday to force a decisive contest in their opening-round N.H.L. playoff series.

Game 7 will be Monday in Washington. The winner will play the Rangers, who ousted the Pittsburgh Penguins with an overtime win Friday at Madison Square Garden.

Kulemin’s goal at 10 minutes 33 seconds, after John Tavares had been checked into the boards behind the net by Alex Ovechkin, ignited yet another raucous celebration at the 43-year-old arena, which will close after this season when the Islanders move to Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

“I saw the wide-open net in front of me, made a couple of moves and it was in,” said Kulemin, a solid performer in his first season with the Islanders, playing all 82 games and scoring 15 goals. “We were physical when we had to be. We played well.”

Kulemin’s goal broke the tension in Game 6, another taut contest that appeared destined to be the third straight Islanders home game to reach overtime in this series. But undisciplined play from the Capitals appeared to get them in trouble, leading to the winning goal.

As Ovechkin seemed bewildered after delivering the hit from behind on Tavares, the prone Tavares managed to nudge the puck to Nick Leddy along the boards, who passed it to Kulemin alone in front of the Washington net.

Colin McDonald, who played his first game of the series on a newly formed line with Kulemin and Mikhail Grabovski, was coming on the ice just as Kulemin scored. He arrived in time to participate in a group hug in front of Capitals goalie Braden Holtby as the sellout crowd of 16,170 roared with approval.

“Kuli was wide open in front, and he made a great move there to score,” said McDonald, who was added to the lineup against the hefty Capitals for his size. “We are a confident bunch of guys here who play hard. We bounced back all year.”

Jaroslav Halak made 38 saves for the Islanders, who will play a Game 7 for the first time since 2002. The Islanders haven’t won a playoff series since 1993.

The Capitals came close to tying the score at 14:37 of the third period, but Halak stopped Troy Brouwer at point-blank range, and Jay Beagle’s follow-up hit the crossbar and bounced away.

Clutterbuck scored his empty-netter at 19:07 of the third to cement to win and give the fans a chance to truly exercise their vocal cords.

“We’ve said it all year, our fans have been like our sixth man,” Islanders Coach Jack Capuano said. “They give us the energy we need.”

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Cal Clutterbuck after his empty-net goal in the third period.CreditBruce Bennett/Getty Images

The mood in Nassau Coliseum mixed nervous anticipation at what could have been the arena’s final game with the palpable pressure of the home team facing elimination.

The Islanders improved to a 16-5 when facing playoff elimination at their home rink since 1972. That includes the heady years of the four straight Stanley Cup championships from 1980-83.

On Saturday, the Islanders rolled the dice with their lineup against their burlier opponents. They used a new pair on defense, with the reserve Matt Donovan and the rookie Scott Mayfield, and inserted McDonald in place of Anders Lee.

At 6:56 of the opening period, the Islanders took the lead when Tavares whipped the puck past Holtby for his second goal of the series. Ryan Strome and Leddy had assists.

The Islanders almost escaped the first period with a lead despite taking three penalties, but the Capitals made them pay when John Carlson scored at 19:55 to tie the score. Ovechkin and Brouwer assisted as Tavares served a slashing penalty.

The second period began with pressure and promise from the Islanders, who had been unable to score on the power play through five games. They had a chance when Beagle was called for hooking at 2:59, but they failed to convert — for the 13th straight time in the series.

Grabovski — in his second game back after missing two months with a suspected concussion — narrowly missed putting the Islanders ahead midway through the second period when Holtby bobbled his shot and the puck rolled down his back and just off the post to Holtby’s right.

“It’s tough to swallow,” Holtby said of the loss. “It’s one where I thought we did everything we could defensively. We had our chances.”

The teams played an even and physical second period marked by several skirmishes, not uncommon as a heated series nears its climax. Matt Martin battled with Michael Latta. McDonald tussled with Mike Green, and Ovechkin collided with Clutterbuck in open ice near the Capitals’ bench.

After Clutterbuck put the game away, the frustrated Capitals started numerous battles as the seconds elapsed, and the end of the game saw a multiplayer scrum that had to be broken up by the officials. It started after Carlson appeared to shoot the puck after the buzzer sounded, which upset the Islanders yet again.

Multiple penalties were assessed at the game’s end, and Capuano said that the officials had befuddled him all series.

“I don’t think they set a tone all series,” he said. “Why should they start now?”

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page SP9 of the New York edition with the headline: Islanders, Who Won’t Go Quietly, Upend Capitals to Force Showdown. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe